moving from formula to cows milk

[fluffycat]

My little boy will be 1 next month. How should i move onto cows milk from formula? How much will he need? In a bottle or a cup? Heated or cold?

Sorry for lots of questions but it's stressing me out!! He loves his formulas soo much

 

[Ella1979]

You could try a variety of ways, there's no real hard and fast way of doing it. For example, my daughter had formula until she was almost 3 (!) and then switched straight onto cow's milk and has always had it warm. My son has had cow's milk since he was just over 1 year old and has it straight from the fridge! She drinks her milk from a cup, he still has a bottle (he's just over 2 years old).

Some people advocate switching gradually - so half formula, half cow's milk - and this can minimise any problems with changing over, like diarrhoea or just general problems with the taste being different to them. We did try this with our son when he got severe diarrhoea after starting cow's milk, but ended up on lactose-free milk which was fine.

Personally, I think the more subtle approach is best, so mixing formula and cow's milk and still giving it in a bottle. You may have to play about with the temperature as formula is kind of slightly warmer than room temperature in general.

 

[El1en]

I'll be watching this thread. I breast feed but will begin giving my Lo cows milk at 11 months (I do the recommendation is a year) as we will be lambing on our farm and Lo will be with a nanny during the day so only able to bf morning and night.

My plan was to give it in a cup and try it cold to start with as it would be easier if she'd drink it cold but if she's not keen I'll try warming it

 

[russellmuscle]

I gave J cows milk from 11m I just gave him 1 bottle a night, he moved over no probs by 1.

I still heat it for him unless hes warm ot the weathers hot.

But if bub doesnt agree you could wait. I think one nigt we got stuck in with bad weather it was the last feed and I chanced it, he was fine and we continued 1 a night until 12m.

xxxx

 

[Loula]

I swapped my little one over at 13 months.
I went straight from formula to cows milk. Unfortunately my lo didn't take to a cup for milk and had to have it in a bottle until she was over 3 years old. Needless to say she has weaned herself off after not liking Greek milk x

 

[Pumpkin9]

My little boy was formula fed by 12 months, I started by mixing the two together and then slowly increasing the amount of cows milk and decreasing the amount of formula. He took to it no problems. Started off by giving him warm milk cause of the formula but soon switched to straight from the fridge with no problems at all.

 

[lisastevo]

I went straight in just after my sons 1st birthday. He was already drinking water from a cup so one day instead of giving him his morning bottle of formula I just gave him cows milk straight from the fridge in his cup and he drank it happy as Larry. I was most worried about ditching his bedtime bottle as I thought it was more of a comfort thing but after a week of doing the morning, I replaced his evening bottle of formula with the cup of straight out of the fridge cows milk and he was absolutely fine and formula/bottle free from then onwards. I guess I'm lucky that he wasn't that fussed about it. I really panicked but he's been fine. Good Luck.

 

[Taboo917]

Caleb turned one a week ago and we switched to cows milk a couple of days before. He absolutely adores his bottles as well so I was terrified about the switch and how he'd react.

I decided to just try and do it cold turkey so first morning he still had it in a bottle but it was only cows milk (warmed). He didn't react at all and has been solely on cows milk ever since. He still has 2 bottles one in the morning and one at night. I warm them both but the morning one usually not so much as I don't want him to be on warm milk forever but straight from the fridge seems a bit mean! I'm going to try and move him onto a cup for at least the morning one in the next month or two...i thought it might be too much for him (or more likely for me lol!) to do the cows milk and cup in one go (also if he rejected it I wouldn't know if it was the cup or the milk, or both!) x

 

[JD.Deedee]

My son reacts to cows milk and will refuse it himself after half a bottle so we're still on toddler milk and he's finally dropping a bottle or two! But I've always took the rule of thumb that we don't need more than 500 mls of cows milk daily, as we get milk or dairy from other sources too. You can get vitamin drops to add to either food/drink/milk.